Against the odds: The USSR and East-West Germany energy relations
... increase in cooperation is not only possible, but it can also be sought after in times of severe political tension. The best example is the case of the East-West Germany relations with the USSR. Despite the uneasy political circumstances during the Cold War and political sensitivity concerning the issue of cooperation between the two German states, the USSR and West Germany managed to establish the base of the gas interdependence model, which was to become a backbone of the contemporary EU energy security. In a time of severe political crisis the two adversaries managed to build a long-lasting cooperation based on a sensible economic model that benefited both sides....